Eric Gregory leaves Central for IMG Academy

Eric Gregory, one of the state's top football prospects in the Class of 2019, is leaving Central to play his senior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Former Warriors assistant Bryan Williams, who was handling the player's recruiting, confirmed to The Commercial Appeal on Monday that Gregory was enrolled at IMG.

"They reached out to him," Williams said. "There have been a lot of changes at Central. ... It seems strange to say it moving to a new school, but it's going to bring him stability. I was the only one handling his recruiting; now he has a whole marketing team behind him to help with his recruiting."

Gregory had 56 tackles – including 16 for lost yardage – and 12 sacks for Central, which ranked sixth in the Shelby-Metro area in total defense, surrendering 200.6 yards per game. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder was ranked 13th in the state according to 247Sports and was a first-team all-metro selection.

Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee are among the schools that have offered him a scholarship.

Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.

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